Qualification and validation test methodology of the open-source CubeSat FloripaSat-I

Abstract

The FloripaSat-I project consists of an initiative from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), in Brazil, to train students to design, test and integrate innovative space systems. The group just developed its first open-source CubeSat, the FloripaSat-I, which aims to empower students to develop space systems through a practical approach, where they have full control of the design and test of a real spacecraft. The project has already gone through all the stages of a CubeSat mission prior to the launching and operation stages. A prototype of the satellite, as well the engineering models 1 and 2 (EM-I and EM-II) were built. The expertise provided by the engineering models allows the development of a functional flight model (FM). This paper presents the validation and qualification tests that pass various FloripaSat-I models, from the engineering model to the flight model. All stages of the project are described, the tests performed in each phase, as well as the lessons learned. Thus, this paper serves as a guidance for other university teams that want to test their own CubeSats, as well as teams that want to use the open-source hardware and software left as heritage by this project.